


Oh But She Burns

by KuraKaw



Series: Capsaicin [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: First Meetings, Gen, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash, Trans Pepper Potts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29801664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuraKaw/pseuds/KuraKaw
Summary: An alternate first meeting between Pepper and Tony.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark
Series: Capsaicin [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2159127
Kudos: 12





	Oh But She Burns

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is unbetaed, unedited, I slapped this bad boi down and now I'm posting it. Yeet. Yes the title is from Cherry Wine.

Pepper pressed her hands against her thighs, smoothing her skirt down, trying to stop the shaking. She was at the final interview before her first job after top surgery and changing her name. She had lost a lot of her support system by transitioning: her parents, her siblings, even a few of her friends. She had quit her last job, hoping to get a fresh start. Hopefully, she wouldn't regret that. 

She was stuffing her hands under her thighs and counting her breaths, trying not to panic when the door cracked open. Pepper heard a voice snap, "That's enough, Obi. This is my choice. You don't get a say." She looked up as a young man, dressed neatly in an expensive suit, with a fussy goatee and out of place overgrown, fluffy hair poked his head out and smiled at her. The infamous Tony Stark: her new boss – if things went well anyways. "Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. Come on in."

Pepper stood and smoothed her skirt down (definitely not wiping her sweaty palms on it) before striding confidently towards the door, hoping she wouldn't wobble. She held a hand out to him and introduced herself. "Pepper Potts. Pleased to meet you."

"Tony Stark, but I imagine you already knew that." His tone was light and teasing, but she nodded stiffly, unable to relax. Surprisingly, she had to look down at him in her heels. He stepped back and gestured her into the room. Inside, was an uncomfortable looking black man in a military uniform and an imposing bald man in a sharp suit. She didn't know the first man, but she had seen the second in her research into Stark Industries – Obidiah Stane, the right hand man of both Tony and the late Howard Stark. He had been disagreeing with Stark about something, probably hiring her. That just made her more nervous. Great.

"Please, sit," Stark walked around to seat himself at the desk. "This is Colonel James Rhodes, and this is Obidiah Stane." He gestured to the two men in turn.

Pepper nodded and spewed all the inane correct pleasantries – or at least she thought she had. Stane was looking at her like something unpleasant he found on the bottom of his overpriced leather shoes.

Stark slung his feet up on the desk, crossing his legs at the ankles, acting every bit the irreverent, spoiled brat people said he was. "So I've already seen your resume – impressive by the way – and you've gotten through all the formalities. I know you're more than qualified for the job. Tell me why I should hire you." He planted his elbow on the armrest of his chair and propped his chin up on his knuckles, looking at her expectantly.

"Well, Mr. Stark–"

"Tony, please."

"Tony," she said carefully, trying not to show her irritation at being interrupted, "I graduated top of my class at Brown, I have years of experience–"

"Yes, all very boring and self-important, I'm sure," he drawled. "But tell me why I should hire you."

Something in Pepper snapped, and without thinking, she spat out, "Well if you ask me, it sounds like you need a baby sitter, and lucky for you I have plenty of experience in that as well as my top marks at Brown. If we're talking about relevant work experience." Oh shit.

Before she had time to truly panic about calling her once-possibly future boss a child, Colonel Rhodes snorted a laugh.

"Yeah, she's got your number, Tones."

Tony swatted at the Colonel half-heartedly, hiding a smile behind his hand. When she looked at Mr. Stane, the furrow between his brows had deepened.

"You," he started. "I like you. You're hired. When can you start?"

"I–"

Pepper wanted to say she could start immediately, but her tongue was all tangled up in her head. She honestly hadn't expected to be hired after her outburst.

Apparently, tired of her gaping at him, Tony clapped his hands together and swung out of his seat. "How about next week. Give you a bit of time to get your affairs in order. Huh. That came out wrong. I really have no intention of letting you die on the job; that would defeat the purpose of going through all this trouble of hiring you. Don't die, start next week how's that sound?"

She nodded mutely at him. He held out a hand, and she stood and shook it.

"I'll have HR send over all the necessary paperwork."

She nodded again, and swallowed audibly. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

He smiled, though it seemed a bit tight around the edges, "That will be all, Ms. Potts."

She walked as calmly as possible out the door. As soon as the door closed behind her, she ran to the elevator without looking back, giving him as little time as possible to rethink his decision.

Pepper Potts had a job.


End file.
